Murciélago
by Morning Bleach
Summary: Uquiorra wakes to an empty clearing in Soul Society, when an odd bat appears his will soon change. currently reworking story


Here is the first Chapter of my Ulquiorra story, (in the future it will be UlquiorraOrihime)

On to the story!

* * *

The wind blow softy across the grassy meadow as the sun set in the western sky. Watching the sky was a pair of emerald green eyes. It was quite a change from the black sky and gray sand of Hueco Mundo. In some corner of his mind he wondered if he'd ever see that place again. Little did he care about where he was or where he came from but he still preferred the desert to this place.

Moving his hands to his pockets his attention was drawn to his clothing. The ragged kimono he now wore was not to his liking: no pockets. Resisting the eager to sigh, he instead laid his left hand on the hilt of his sword. At least he still had Murcielago with him.

All was quiet around him. The wind had passed and no animals made any sounds, at least there was one thing he didn't have to be annoyed by. But what would he do now? He had no orders to follow, no master to attend to, and no onna to keep alive, so what now? Resisting another sigh he began to make his way into the forest. Reiatsu was coming from the West so that was the way he would go.

The forest was lush. Small animals scurried away from him as he passed but he paid them no attention, they were trash, not worth his attention. He continued on. The reiatsu did not drawing any closer but he could already tell he was far from the source. The trees did not thin for some time but as they did more sounds made their way to his ears.

Exiting the forest gave him a view of the Rukongai district. Huts and fallen down buildings were clumped together in the city below.

"Trash," he said. And for once his deductions were physically obvious. The trash he had always known existed finally resembled his view of them.

Scanning the horizon he saw no sigh of the white walled city he knew was out there. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but the Rukongai districts poor living conditions. He had no intention of going either place. He simply turned north and started walking. He needed to get to know his surroundings; survival would always be a dominant impulse for him he figured.

The forest stretched for over two miles to the north. From the rough edge of the forest he could glimpse a white tower far in the west. With that in mind he headed east, following the tree line. This forest couldn't be too big but it would still be wise to know the extent of its borders. Under four miles later he began following a winding river that was the border to the southeast. He came across yet another meadow with some large oak trees at its edge.

The sun had set long ago and it would still be some time before it rose. Landing on an inner branch of the largest oak, he sat down, leaning his back against the trunk. With his zanpakuto secured at his side, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

As morning began to dawn on the fourth day, Ulquiorra slipped from the oak and landed softy in the meadow below. Not a soul had found him yet and he couldn't care much less if he was ever found. The silence was welcoming and he would rather that not change. He had only just gotten away from Grimmjow and other foul Espada; he'd like to keep it that way.

He soon learned the burden of being human once again and was forced to find sustenance to take away his hunger. It was no problem catching the larger creatures that lived in the forest or cooking them for that matter. It couldn't compare with Las Noches meals but it was good.

He'd also tested his reiatsu levels and found they were not so different from what he had known as an Espada. While he couldn't use the Gargata he found he could produce an attack similar to his green Cero. This accomplishment nearly brought a smile to his face, but not quite. He didn't dare release his Zanpakto. The last thing he needed was to alert the shinigami to his presence.

For a short time he had entertained the idea of going to the Seireitei before deciding, should any recognize him, he would surely be put to death. And if they did not recognize him then he would be forced to obey whatever master they would put over him, something he had no intentions of doing.

He'd stay here for now, training. He had no qualms about living on his own. It was a simple existence. The river provided water; the forest provided nourishment. Clothing would be dealt with if such needs arose. Until then, he would survive. Approaching the river, he knelt down to splash some water on his face and hands. The cool liquid was welcomed, but as the river stilled it he caught a glimpse of his features.

He hadn't gotten used to the pale skin of his human body, he found himself missing the white of his Arrancar form. While he still had the '4' tattoo on his breast, the tear lines on his face were nearly impossible to see in this reflection. He figured they would be more noticeable if he looking in a proper mirror, but that didn't interest him. The mask he had come so accustomed to was absent now. His hair now fell freely on both sides of his face. He did not appreciate the change in his appearance; what he had come to know seemed to be gone. He was no longer Arrancar, he was merely a soul that had been purified and sent to the Soul Society. Sure he had his reiatsu, but he was not…not used to such an existence.

A sigh escaped his lips.

He did little while in the forest and he hadn't ventured outside the forest since the second day to learn the surroundings. It was quite a change from Las Noches' white walls and high ceilings. All the color didn't come to his liking. Unable to change the surroundings, he quickly dismissed the useless thoughts of annoyances.

Rising from the river, he shunpo into the forest in search of his day's meal. It did not take long to track down and kill a large buck.

It was not until he'd satisfied his hunger that the day got interesting.

Ulquiorra had gotten used to the sounds of the forest, both during the day and night. The daily scurrying of small mammals and chirping of the birds; the hooting of owls and the slow dragging sounds of the nocturnal mammals. If he had to enjoy one over the other, he'd choose the night time sounds. The creatures were quieter then the day time creatures, also the dark sky felt more like home than a strange new land.

But it was broad daylight when the chirping of a nocturnal animal reached his ears.

Glancing around, his eyes landed on the owner. Low in a large oak tree, hanging from one of the branches, was a giant bat. Its body hung down over two feet from the tree with its wings wrapped around it. Its head was shaped like a small fox but its fur and wings were completely black. The eyes were open, no different than normal bats. The creature kept its eyes trained on Ulquiorra.

The moment Ulquiorra gaze met with the creatures, it opened its black wings and shrieked. The cry was sharp, somehow sounding annoyed with what it saw before itself.

When Ulquiorra did not respond the bat closed its wings and continued to stare at him, its eyes boring into Ulquiorra like a cat watching its next meal scamper among the leaves, unaware that death was so close.

For an hour the two watched each other, neither moving nor making a sound. Ulquiorra had nothing to do for the day, as it had been the last few days, so he watched the creature. Studied its black body wrapped in its wings; watched its eyes never blinking, clawed feet clung to the underside of the limb with no trouble. Hanging upside down must make the world so different, yet he knew to the bat it would seem to be no different than breathing.

The sound of movement brought alertness to Ulquiorra. His eyes snapped in the direction the sound came. The second he moved his eyes from the bat, it fell into the air and spread its wings. Its wings spread out over six feet yet he flew silently, fast approaching Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra had time to move out of the way only for the bat to turn around and fly at him again. With this second assault, the bat anticipated his move and, moving with Ulquiorra, flew over his head, grabbing at his hair and skull with its claws.

Ulquiorra ducked instinctively, rising his hands to his head. When he brought them back down, small amounts of blood speckled his fingers. He shot his gaze to the bat. It was flying around him as if in orbit, but what caught his eye was what the bat now held in its clawed feet.

Dangling in the air hung a familiar white object. Its horn never touched the bats wings even though it pointed up toward them and the weight did not appear to be affecting the bats flight. There, in the bats claws, hung Ulquiorra's Arrancar mask. There was no mistaking it. Every detail was identical to the half helmet he had worn since Aizen created him. The curves of the horn, the fanning of the layers, even the claw like structure around the eye. It was his mask.

His eyes narrowed at the sight, unsure of what to make of it. The bat continued its orbit, flying higher into the sky. A sudden shriek fell to his ears, causing Ulquiorra to move into a defensive stance, his hand on his zanpakuto. The bats' shriek had fallen on his ears, but it was not the shriek he heard. Words. Human words came to his mind as the bat cried out. His mind was either translating what the bat was crying, or it already knew want the bat was saying.

"What are you?" Ulquiorra ordered his voice holding little emotion. The bat did not answer his question but continued its cries.

"_She's gone, she's gone! I can't find her! Where did they take her! She has to be ok, she just has to be!"_ the bats' cries filled his head. So familiar were the words it said, as if he had heard them before but in a distant dream. _"Why!? Why did they have to take her! She's done nothing wrong! She has harmed no one! It's not fair! Where is she!"_ the bats cries faded into sobs, tears fell to the ground from its eyes.

As it cried its last, the bat dove to the ground, colliding hard, the mask falling from its claws and lay motionless on the ground. The crying creature too lay on the ground, stilling the grass around it. _"She's gone."_

At these last words the surrounding forest disappeared around Ulquiorra, taking him to a large stone building. Its walls were crumbling down, barely holding up a few fragments of upper levels. The bat lay in the grey sand yards in front of the building. Ulquiorra watched as the bat began to grow, morphing into the shape of a human being. On his knees the teen wept, his arms circled his waist as he tried to hold himself together.

"_She's gone,"_

The words were faint but they were still there, hanging in the air even after he boy stopped his crying. The day quickly turned to night and a cold wind blew across the ruins. As snow fell from a black sky the boy's body grew still, barely rising in breath until it stilled all together.

Chains flew out from him. Circling and anchoring in the building he lay before. The boy's soul rose up to stand on its feet. A chain dangled from his chest and the lead the way into the tangle of heavy chains surrounding the building. The teen walked toward the building, disappearing into a fallen wall.

Again the scene began to change. The snow vanished and the few nearby trees grew leafs. As the sun dawned, a cry—much like the one that came from the bat—filled the air. A rumbling followed. Building up, growing stronger until the structure collapsed from its strength. Bursting forth from the rubble a hollow shot into the sky, its mask covered its whole head. Wings flapped at its back, cutting the air as it climbed higher.

A ripping sound announced a garganta opening in the morning sky. Through it the deserts of Hueco Mundo stretched out as far as the eye could see. When the bat entered the tunnel to the other world it closed up, cutting off the creature's cries.

Just as it started, it ended. Ulquiorra found himself back in the meadow. The sun was once again shining down on him and the bat now looking up at him, unperturbed and back to its former self. It's eyes boar into Ulquiorra until the latter spoke.

"Are you… Murcielago?" His voice hinted understanding rather than authority.

The bat shrieked. Though no words came to him, Ulquiorra understood the affirmative.

He stared at the creature. He had never known a zanpakuto spirit to be so small; then again, the woman's power had been six small fairies. Ulquiorra pulled Murcielago from his waist and held it in his hands. His eyes shifted back to the bat.

"What are you doing here?"

When the bat cried out again, words fell to Ulquiorras' ears.

"_As a hollow, you and I were one and the same. When Kurosaki Ichigo destroyed you he purified both of us— separating us. _

"_The memories of your human life—which you just saw—have been dealt with. You have somehow let go of your hate and pain. Doing so has allowed you to come to the Soul Society rather than being reborn in the human world and losing your power and memories._

"_We are no longer hollow—Arrancar; but soul—shinigami. Your hollow hole has disappeared, the mask_," the bat glanced at the mask that still lay on the ground,_ "is now trash; nothing but bone with no purpose or reason for being._

"…

"_I am here because…you want to grow stronger. You have always wanted to become stronger. I don't know why, but you still do._

"…

"_Ulquiorra…what are you striving for? Why do you want more strength?" _

The shinigami gazed at the bat. It was large for a bat but still, it was small. However, now that he knew it was there he could feel it: reiatsu. Strong, familiar reiatsu was radiating from the bat. The spirit itself was petite but the reiatsu it radiated was larger than could have possibly fit inside its body. He could still feel his own reiatsu. He knew he would be able to fight one-on-one with a captain and hold his own. But the reiatsu the bat held—if combined with his own—would surpass any bankai he had seen yet.

This bat—this spirit—was his. It was his reiatsu in its purist state. From now on he knew this bat would be his constant companion. Whether he was visible or not he would still be there, always.

He did not respond to the spirits question. Why he wanted to grow stronger was anyone's guess. It was how he had always been so why change just because he was shinigami and not Espada. Was that not how he was supposed to feel?

His eyes landed on the mask he had worn for so long. Approaching it, he picked it up off the ground. The underside that he had never seen was as white as the top and side. It was a perfect half, even down the back.

Ulquiorra sighed. Even though the mask was trash—as the spirit had said—he did not want to throw it away or destroy it. Keeping it with him would be foolish; it was only a link to his old life. A life he could not return to.

He faced the bat and held his free hand down to it. The creature leapt onto his open palm, supporting itself by placing its clawed "hands" on Ulquiorras arm.

"Well, what now?" Ulquiorra asked it.

"_Only you know the answer to that."_

_#4_

**This story is under construction, I have deleted the next chapters and will repost them when they are too my liking. You might call this a hiatus but this story is unfinished and I will post the chapters again when they story is completely written. So the next time you get an update you can expect the story to play through to the end.**

**Also my computer is constantly shutting off and having to reboot to an earlier time so not many of my stories are making much headway right now. **

**Sorry for any ill feelings this may cause….**

**Morning Bleach**


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